Agriculture groups make unified push to get TPP ratified

Congressional leaders were sent a letter from a group of agriculture and food businesses and organizations, urging them to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.

A group of agriculture and food businesses have urged congressional leaders to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. A total of 226 entities, many of which represent the poultry, pig and animal feed industries, signed a letter that explains how inaction on the trade deal is harming the U.S. economy.

About the TPP agreement

The TPP, negotiations on which concluded last October, is a regional trade deal that includes the United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, which account for nearly 40 percent of global gross domestic product.

“If faithfully implemented, TPP will help level the playing field for U.S. exports and create new opportunities for us in the highly competitive Asia-Pacific region,” said the agricultural and food groups in a letter to Senate and House leaders.

In addition to removing export barriers, the TPP agreement includes high-standard rules that will encourage market-driven and science-based terms of trade that will help the U.S. food and agriculture industry compete in the Asia-Pacific region, the groups pointed out in their letter.